The invention disclosed herein relates to apparatus for inserting documents or enclosures into envelopes, and more particularly to such apparatus which unfolds the envelope flap and feeds the enclosure or enclosures into the "flapped" envelope.
The mailing process involves a number of operations including assembly and insertion of mail items into an envelope, moistening the envelope flap, sealing the envelope, weighing the envelope, applying postage, etc. Automation of such operations typically entails moving an envelope into and through a station which carries out the particular function. With respect to the document feeding operations, see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,169,341 (Roether et al.), 4,570,923 (Hooper et al), 4,619,101 (Havey, Jr., al.), and 4,775,140 (Foster). The disclosures of those patents, which are assigned to the assignee of this application, are hereby incorporated by reference. Frequently, rollers and belt conveyors are used to move the envelope within a station while the particular mailing function is carried out. As the throughput of modern mailing apparatus increases, envelope jamming has occurred more frequently requiring more frequent operator intervention and longer overall machine down time. Where the envelope path is not easily accessible, machine down time has become even longer because of the difficulty of reaching and removing jammed envelopes.
U S. Pat. No. 4,775,140, cited above, discloses an apparatus comprising an envelope feeder and an envelope "flapper" which unfolds or "flaps" envelope flaps open so that documents may be inserted into the "flapped" envelope at a queuing station. The apparatus disclosed in that patent includes a pivoting frame assembly to provide jam-clearing access to the envelope feed path through the envelope flapper. However, this patent does not address jam-clearing access to the enclosure feed path and the upstream end of the queuing station.